The present invention relates to an automatic record player adapted to automatically swing a pickup arm to and from the playing position at a start and a stop of the performance.
Automatic record players making use of the torque of the turn table as a power source for automatic operation of the pickup arm have been well known. In these known record players, a large gear having a non-toothed portion is adapted to engage a small gear or pinion formed on the rotary shaft of the turn table.
The arrangement is such that the engaged pinion drives the large gear which in turn reciprocally moves a driving plate so as to swing the pickup arm. In addition, the setting of the performance start position is made by means of an index mechanism which is arranged independently of the pickup arm swinging mechanism including the large gear and the driving plate.
Thus, the known automatic record player of the kind described above inconveniently requires a number of intermediate power transmission members such as the driving plate for converting the rotary motion of the large gear into the reciprocatory swinging motion of the pickup arm.
Thus, the transmission mechanism is undesirably complicated, requiring compensation for the deterioration of each part for obtaining the desired transmission and an unpractically high degree of precision assembling. Consequently, the designated reliability of the operation can be achieved only through an assembly which results in an increased cost of production of the record player.